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EL34 in triode vs 300B/845 SET

Hi All,

    I thank you ahead if some of you already helped out with my previously related post.  Quick story, I currently use a Dared VP-300B SET and just loving the sound but since I'm using B&W805 D3 I keep wondering if better higher current/watt amp would further impress me.  The best SET in the market seems to be 805B driven by 300B, very very expensive (thinking Line Magnetic 219ia).  I've been reading that EL34 due to it's design gets very close to 300B SET when wired in triode mode.  It seems far more economical to get the romantic lush sound and lots more power (relative to SET) with EL34B in triode then going 845/805 tubes (especially considering high heat).  Any anyone can share experience with above since there're lot of EL34 triode/UL amp out there these days?

    I'm also wondering since Dared VP-300B is a very entry level 300B SET, if upgrading to more expensive ones like Line Magnetic or AudioSpace or Cary...etc would make big difference with fuller body sound?  Or maybe SET is SET and won't get too huge leap of a difference.

Thanks.

hifineubee

Showing 2 responses by salectric

salectric
747 posts
 
As others have said, you need to choose which component to keep—-the 300B SET or the B&W—-and then move from there.  I would just add that if you keep the speakers you don’t have to go to a Levinson behemoth.  You can stay with tubes with the B&Ws, you just need to try a higher-powered push-pull Tube amp.  A p-p 300B amp like a VAC might be an ideal way to get (nearly) the best of both worlds.  But I would also recommend p-p EL-34 amps.
salectric
747 posts
 
I have never heard a single-ended amp with DHT output tubes in parallel (PSET).  I have read that putting a pair of DHT tubes like 2A3 or 300B in parallel tends to move the sound away from the SE sound and towards a push-pull sound, but that is only secondhand, not based on experience.

i can say from experience that I prefer the sound of a very high quality push-pull amp to the SE DHT amps I have heard.  By very high quality PP, I mean something like a custom amp using Western Electric 350B outputs and vintage transformers or Emotive Audio Vita amps with KT-120 outputs.  (I own the Vita amps.)
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